Worst Ever: Music Major Labels vs David Choi

[EDIT 5-31-2010] David Choi’s Youtube Acct Has Been Suspended [/EDIT]

Before we get into it, I recommend you first watch the following two clips for some context. Long story short, David Choi is in danger of losing his Youtube channel.

Now after seeing the lengthy explanation of events from Mr Choi himself, you should have a pretty good idea of what’s going on. Now let me be clear from the very start so there is no confusion… I’m on David’s side on this one, as I imagine many of you reading will be too. Not to say there isn’t any bias but I pride myself on being as objective as possible and I believe I’ve logically come to my conclusion.

You see, companies such as WMG has beef with Youtube. They have a history of conflict, just Google the words “WMG” and “Youtube” and you get a bunch of results on the issue. In an over-simplified summary, WMG doesn’t believe they are getting their fair shair in the online-streaming business and as a result, they heavily police the internet, taking down all copyright infringement material. OK, that in itself is their prerogative… let’s be honest, they deserve to be paid for the music they own/protect on “behalf” of their artists. As much as I love social media, and the mass availability to new music, whether legally or illegally, I understand that there are copyright laws for a reason and that these are businesses trying to stay afloat.

But to attack an artist for posting cover songs that aren’t even for sale… I think that’s crossing the line. Their argument is that David is sharing music that he doesn’t own and allowing the entire world to hear while WMG doesn’t see a dime. If this were an issue of file-sharing the original songs and posting them all over the web then sure, that definitely has ramifications on sales and their bottom line. But the labels have decided to ignore the fact that David artfully recreates these covers with his own arrangement, instrumentation, and vocals and merely keeps the heart of the melody and the lyrics in tact nor does he charge a penny for them. So what exactly are they losing in this case?

Are they afraid that his covers are actually deterring people from purchasing the original songs? I wonder if any market studies have been conducted to tangibly show a direct correlation between the popularity of a David Choi cover and the sales figures of a single. I imagine they are presenting the argument that it’s an inverse correlation, with rising DC views equating to falling sales numbers… but if anything I’d argue the opposite. If American Idol has taught us anything, it’s that when the public sees an artist they like covering a song, sales of that song spike in the immediate short term. I imagine the effect, though no where near as dramatic, is similar with David.

So again, what are they losing? DC potentially is helping their sales, plus they have the option of running ads against all the videos in question… all bringing in revenue that they would not otherwise have from an individual not even on their payroll. And I highly doubt this is a stance of principle. These companies exist to make money, not uphold artistic integrity.

And while yes, it’s clear that music sales in general have fallen over the years due to piracy and a crumbling business model, I don’t buy for one second that free online cover songs are the culprit. Bottom line is… well their bottom line. They don’t know how to recoup it so the want more money from Youtube. All or nothing. It’s almost like if McDonald’s sales on Big Macs were slipping so they started suing people at home for making their own two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.

WMG and all the other publishing companies, get over yourself. You’ve helped bring us a ton of music over the years, and for that we thank you… but don’t get into the business of taking away music from us too.